Review: The Hunted

I must confess a crushing disappointment that I didn't see The Hunted theatrically, because William Friedkin's newest film is a masterful piece of taut action filmmaking. I'm amazed at the nonchalant, near-universal dismissal of this kinetic film, because I found myself as riveted by the proceedings as I've been all year.

The Hunted is an experiment in frugality. Friedkin's barebones approach to the material is evident from the first frame to the last. There's not a single wasted scene or piece of narrative that detracts from the film's explosive drive. Friedkin shows his mastery of the medium in his judicious cuts and elegant framing of this tale of two men pushing each other to the limits of their humanity.

Friedkin's career of late has been a series of crushing disappointments (Blue Chips, Jade, Rules of Engagement). It is with this in mind that I can say that this is probably my third favorite Friedkin, after The Exorcist and The French Connection.

There's a naturalist poetry to Friedkin's bloody film that lends it an extraordinarily personal touch. A brief, early scene of Tommy Lee Jones's character tracking then freeing a wolf that has been snared says as much about the man's honor and virtue than any amount of tedious exposition might have.

In The Hunted, Friedkin delivers an almost perfect film (only Connie Nielsen's detective feels out of place), and, hopefully, it suggests a return to form that will see the once great filmmaker delivering the goods for years to come.

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